US President Barack Obama has unveiled a $13 billion plan to develop a nationwide high speed rail network, which he argued "will be faster, cheaper and easier than building more freeways or adding to an already overburdened aviation system".Experiencing a severe economic crisis, the Obama Administration has realised that the freeways can no longer be the most preferred mode of transportation because of its dependence on foreign oil to run the car and motors.
Ever since he occupied the White House, Obama has been insisting on promoting the rail network in a big way and as a viable long term environment-friendly economical alternative to the freeway system of transportation.
The Obama announcement yesterday gave a new lease of life to the crumbling rail network, which in the previous Bush Administration was on the verge of being closed down. A large number of passenger routes run by the Amtrak were shut down during his administration because of lack of funds.
Terming it as a smart transportation system, Obama said "Today, our ageing system of highways and byways, air routes and rail lines is hindering that growth. Our highways are clogged with traffic, costing us $80 billion a year in lost productivity and wasted fuel."
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